“I need to ask him, don’t I?” I murmured, thinking about how uncomfortable that conversation might be. I had no experience in these situations. None. Just the thought of confronting Wrune about it made me flush.
“Or just demand it,” Hukri said, shrugging her shoulder. “Dakkari males are simple,Missiki. Get him on his back, tell him what you want, and he will not deny you.”
The image of that, of Wrune on his back underneath me, was oddly tantalizing. Just the thought made me swallow.Hard. All golden flesh and hard muscles that I could dig my nails into.
“You think that would really work?” I asked softly, biting my lip.
Hukri’s lyrical laugh rose between us, gentle and lovely. “It works on my mate.”
My laugh joined hers as we rounded a curve in the road, heading towards the training grounds, where we usually turned around to loop back.
“Or ask him,” Hukri said when her laugh settled. “He is honest with you, is he not?”
“Yes,” I said softly.Lately, I amended silently. “He has been.”
He kept me updated on the plans for the Dead Mountain, at least. Almost nightly, he told me what was discussed at the daily council meetings, though he was receiving pushback from the elders. When he told me the journey would take time to plan, he hadn’t been lying. The elders were currently arguing amongst themselves on how manydarukkarscould be spared for such an endeavor.
“Then ask him,” Hukri said simply.
Before the training grounds even came into view, I heard the deep timbre of Wrune’s voice. Just the sound of it made my steps speed…until I realized he sounded angry. Low and cold and even. I recognized that tone.
When we rounded the last corner, I saw he was talking with a male I’d seen around the encampment. An olderdarukkar, though his age had done nothing to diminish the obvious strength of him, the sheerbreadthof him.
Thedarukkarwas staring Wrune straight in the eyes, which made me straighten in disbelief, now that I knew the disrespect of it. The two males were alone, standing outside the council’svolikias if thedarukkarhad approached Wrune as he’d exited it. And with darkness falling, their hushed tones only made their conversation seem more tense. Even from a distance, their body language was tight. I watched Wrune take a quick step towards thedarukkar, heard him utter a string of clipped words.
They stared at one another for a long moment. Then I watched as thedarukkarfinallylowered his gaze.
His head inclined. He stepped away. I released a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding.
“That is Besik,” Hukri whispered to me, close to my ear. Neither male had spotted us or heard our approach. “That is Junira’spattar.”
I recognized that word. It meant ‘father.’
And of course, I knew about Junira.
Wrune said something else but even for Hukri, I knew it was too quiet and too far away to hear it.
Besik stormed away, coming straight towards us. When he saw us, lingering close to the nearestvoliki, his expression tightened, his eyes flickering to me briefly before they snapped away.
“Darukkar,” Hukri greeted, nodding her head.
Besik didn’t pause in his quiet, angry strides. He said nothing, pushing past us, heading back up the road. When I looked back to Wrune, I saw the dark glare he had pinned to Besik’s back.
When those red eyes found mine, that expression significantly softened but I still saw the tightness in his shoulders. When he reached us, he pulled me to his side, his hand curving around my hip.
“Piki,” he murmured in greeting, his voice still roughened with his mood, though he was trying to hide it. Then he said, “Go home to your mate and your child. I’ll see to my wife this night.”
“Lysi, Vorakkar,” she murmured, ducking her head. She met my gaze briefly before it flickered away. “Good night,Missiki.”
“Good night,” I told her, giving her hand a brief squeeze before she turned and made her way back up the path that led to her own family.
When I tilted my head back to regard Wrune, I saw he was already watching me. His hand came up to my cheek and he took advantage of the position to kiss me, soft yet rough. I never caredhowhe kissed me. I craved anything he gave me and this kiss was no different. By the time he pulled away, I was clinging to the thin tunic he wore and already tingling between my thighs.
“Ravenous,reiMorakkari,” he purred, his voice significantly softer. “Jiria. Let’s go home,lysi?”
Home. Such a wonderful, tiny word. And yet it meant so much.
I nodded and we turned down the pathway. We didn’t speak a single word as we wound our way back to thevoliki, both content to remain quiet until we were alone. But his warm palm never left my hip and I found the tight grip comforting.
